C2 Proficiency: Reading and Use of English Part 1

Description
This activity prepares students for the multiple-choice lexical cloze questions in Part 1. The activity raises
awareness of the different aspects of vocabulary that are tested in this part of the Reading and Use of
English paper.

Time required: 30 minutes

Materials  Student’s worksheet (1 copy per student)
required:  Sample task (1 copy per student)

Aims:  to prepare students for the multiple-choice lexical cloze question

 to raise awareness of the different aspects of vocabulary that are
tested in this part

Procedure
1. Give out copies of the Student’s worksheet and the Sample task. Ask students to look at the
Sample Part 1 task from the Reading and Use of English Paper and explain that by answering
Student’s worksheet Exercise 1, they will find out what they have to do in Part 1.
2. Allow students to answer the questions in pairs, or to check their individual answers with a partner.
Go through the answers together (see Key), making sure that all the points are covered.
3. Explain that you are now going to work through Exercise 2. Tell students that they are going to read
the text on the Sample task quickly. Set a time limit of approx. 1 minute. Explain that if they find
unknown words, they should try to deduce meaning from context if possible. If not, once everyone
has finished reading, they can ask other students to explain it and if they can’t, to ask the teacher.
4. Allow time for students to complete question 7, then check everyone understands the types of
vocabulary in the box in question 8. In plenary, ask students to decide what type of vocabulary is
being tested in each gap. They should choose the type of vocabulary from the types in the box. It may
be possible to argue that there are two answers (see Key.) Allow for some flexibility here because, for
example, if a collocation is very strong it can be regarded as a fixed phrase.
5. Ask students to work in pairs and to answer questions 1–8 in 6–10 minutes (question 9). Remind
them to look carefully at text before and after the gap, as this will help them choose the correct
answer. It is also important to read the answers in the context of the whole text when they have
finished because this helps them check that their answers make a coherent complete text. It’s
tempting sometimes to complete a gap at sentence level and then later to realise that it doesn’t fit in
with the gist of the whole text.
6. Go through the answers (question 10) using the Key to highlight how answers should be reached.
Make sure that students understand that at Proficiency level, students are required to have a good
understanding of all aspects of vocabulary e.g. collocations, fixed phrases, idioms, phrasal verbs,
specific vocabulary.

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Additional information
This part tests the candidates’ control and range of vocabulary.

• Each correct answer in Part 1 receives 1 mark.

• This task requires candidates to select from four options the correct word or phrase to fit in each of
eight gaps in the text. This involves choosing the answer that correctly fits the meaning within a
phrase or sentence, and candidates may also have to take into account the broader context of the
previous or following sentences or the whole text. The texts are from a variety of sources and may be
formal, neutral or informal in style. Each text has a title. There is one example answer.
• Some items focus on the meaning of individual words; this may involve choosing, e.g. ‘leaking’ rather
than ‘pouring’, ‘spilling’ or ‘flowing’ to fill the gap in: ‘The roof of our tent was … ’. In other cases
candidates need to be aware of how the word is used in context; this may involve, e.g. choosing
‘interested’ rather than ‘keen’, ‘eager’ or ‘enthusiastic’ to fill the gap in: ‘You may be … in applying for
this job’. In this example, ‘keen’ is wrong not because it has the wrong meaning but because it does
not fit in with the grammar of the sentence.
• This part of the paper also tests fixed phrases, idioms and collocations such as ‘to pay attention to’
and ‘to take no notice of’ as well as phrasal verbs, and linkers such as ‘in case’, ‘as long as’ , ‘even if’
and ‘while’.
• Candidates should select one option for each question and mark it in some way, e.g. by circling the
letter A, B, C or D on the question paper. Once they are satisfied that they have made the appropriate
selections, they should transfer their answers to the answer sheet.

Suggested follow-up work

Choose a suitable short text and ask students to write three or four multiple-choice questions of their own.

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Answer keys

Student’s Worksheet Exercise 1

1. They have to read one text and answer eight 4-option questions on that text. In the example,
descriptive does not go with explorer. Imaginary and Fabled suggests that Thesiger did not exist.
Legendary means that he is very famous. (Sir William Patrick Thesiger, 1910-2003, British explorer
and writer, born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, famous for his books and photographs of his arduous
journeys in Africa).
2. They should notice the instructions or rubric. Elicit that the rubric tells them what they have to do.
3. They should notice that they are given a title Adventure Travel.
4. The title helps students have a context for the text; and helps readers to be able to predict some of
the content and vocabulary.
5. Point out that students should read the title first to get a general idea of what the text is about. It is
recommended that they read the whole text first so that they can start thinking about the text type and
overall meaning.

Student’s Worksheet Exercise 2

7. The text describes the increasing possibilities for adventure travel .
8. The aspect of vocabulary being tested in each question is as shown in the chart:

Types of vocabulary Which question(s) test this?

a) the meaning of individual words/ semantic 1, 6, 7, 8
precision
b) fixed phrases/idioms 4
c) collocations 3
d) phrasal verbs 5
e) complementation 2

10.
1 These words have different meanings. Only slump accurately describes sitting in a chair
watching television
2 Engrossed is followed by in. The other words are followed by by.
3 Corner collocates with of the world. The other words do not.
4 Beaten track (usually off the beaten track) is a fixed phrase.
5 These are all phrasal verbs. Only taking off has a meaning to do with making a long journey.
6 Only diverse collocates with planet.

7 Only trend has the correct meaning.

8 Only counts has the correct meaning

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Sample Task
1 B
2 C
3 A
4 C
5 B
6 B
7 A
8 C

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Student’s worksheet

Exercise 1
In order to find out what you have to do and what is being tested in Part 1 of the Reading paper, go
through questions 1–5 in pairs.
1. Look at the sample Reading and Use of English Paper Part 1. What do you have to do in this
part? Have you checked the example?
2. Look at the beginning of Part 1. What do you notice first?
3. What do you notice about the text?
4. Why are you given the title?
5. How would you go about doing the task? Would read the text stopping after each gap to read
the options, or would you read the whole text first?

Exercise 2
Do questions 6 – 8.
6. Read only the text quickly and ask if there are any words which you do not understand.
7. Summarise the text orally in pairs.
8. Decide what type of vocabulary is being tested in each gap. Choose the type of vocabulary from the
types in the box.

Types of vocabulary Which question(s) test this?

a. the meaning of individual words/
semantic precision
b. fixed phrases/idioms
c. collocations
d. phrasal verbs
e. complementation

9. Answer questions 1–8. You have about 10 minutes. Look carefully at text before and after the gap as
this will help you choose the correct answer.
10. Check your answers with the teacher. Be prepared to explain why you have chosen a particular word.

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Sample Task
Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. Mark your
answers on the separate answer sheet.
There is an example at the beginning (0).
0 A descriptive B imaginary C fabled D legendary

ADVENTURE TRAVEL
Wilfred Thesiger, the (0) ..D.. explorer once said, ‘We live our lives second-hand.’ Sadly, his words are true
for far too many of us, as we (1) …. in front of the television, (2) …. in reality television, living our adventures
through the words and pictures of others. But it does not have to be that way – there are more opportunities
than ever for taking a break from our increasingly sanitised lives and exploring not only some exotic (3) …. of
the globe, but also our own abilities and ambitions. The kind of first-hand experience whose loss Thesiger
laments is still available for anyone willing to forsake the beaten (4) …. and put their mind to (5) …. into the
less explored regions of this (6) …. planet.

The (7)… in travel in recent years has been towards what is known as adventure travel. But adventure
doesn’t have to involve physical exertion; be it haggling over a souvenir in Peru, or getting lost in the
labyrinthine passages of a Moroccan souk, it all (8) … .

1 A droop B slump C sag D plunge

2 A captivated B gripped C engrossed D riveted
3 A corner B edge C angle D pocket
4 A path B road C track D course
5 A turning out B taking off C making out D dropping off
6 A wide B diverse C mixed D different
7 A trend B direction C custom D inclination
8 A fits B belongs C counts D holds

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